In this autobiographical study by the daughter of two prominent psychoanalysts, Wilhelm Reich and Annie Reich, the author describes the factors that led to her decision to join the same profession as her parents'. The traumatic histories of both parents, as well as her own experience of living through World War II and her immigration to America, led to the author's conviction that trauma leads to conflicts involving fantasy and defenses that are incorporated into character structure. Noting the changing attitudes about the importance of trauma in psychoanalytic theory, she comments on the challenges to orthodoxy and institutional rigidity and discusses the different theoretical perspectives and ensuing shifts in the conception and handling of transference. Eventually, through participation in intimate and candid study groups, she begins to incorporate many theoretical trends into her clinical work. She ends with a plea for acceptance of diverse theories, which, she believes, enables growth and new enthusiasm in the field.